I just heard on HLN news that brides looking to save money should only order 1/2 the amonut of cake that they may need since at least 1/2 of the guests don't eat cake anyway.

They said that if you have 150 people coming to the wedding then you should order enough cake for 75 of them.
That should be interesting when Granny is number 76 in the cake line huh?

That idea will really fly well with a sit down dinner, you are all seated after dinner, before the music is keyed up and only half of the guests are served. I think you could get away with it if you have the cake cutting late in the reception when many have already left, but usually the cake is the dessert and people are waiting for it.

Tami

........at least they are waiting for it when I make the cake.................

Hey
Maybe they will make this " half the amount of cake" the new entertanment at weddings... They can auction off who gets cake to the highest bidders money going to either the bride and groom or parents to help them recoup for the cost of the cake now that it such a big issue. This idea is just crazy.

This was discussed here on CC a few days ago. It all started with an article from The Knot and then spread to CNN. Does anybody do any original news reporting any more? Some one needs to do their own research on this. 1/2 the amount of servings is a disaster. I'm pretty sure that if a bride tells me she is going to do that to save something like $200-$300 I will refuse the order. Not because of losing the money, but because of losing my reputation.

instead of a garter or bouquet toss, they can play musical cake slices... if you're quick enough to knock someone over, you get a slice of cake.

c'mon, I look forward to having cake at weddings to see what I can do better or experiement with. sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and the cake is delicious. =D

Just my two cents but.. I think decorators who advertise with the Knot, or are thinking of advertising with the Knot, should send them a note letting them know how displeased they are about the Knot recommending brides only ordering a cake for half the guests. The Knot is an active biz because of the people who advertise. Take that away, and they'll not be doing so great.

I read the Knot article. There were MANY comments from upset bakers on there! They had a legit point. If they run out of cake, but person who baked the cake gets blamed, not the person who ordered it. How sad that someone can put this out there and not even think about the effect it will have on all parties involved. Maybe they were lawmakers in a past life???

Maybe I'm odd, but this just doesn't bother me. As a consumer I can understand needing/wanting to save any money you can. It may be all we think about, but to the majority of people cake just isn't the center of the universe. I try to work with people as best I can, and yes, the extra sheet cakes for servings have become more frequent, but I just don't mind. No one is going home from a wedding and kicking the dog over not getting a piece of cake.

This kind of thing doesn't bother me so much...Wedding magazines and other news sources have put out a steady strem of misinformation for years. I just look at is as part of my duty as the baker to meet with brides and educate them as to the reality of how much to order.

let me start off by saying, I agree. I can see how this can be a very negative effect on bakers.

but, it goes right along with how venues offer pricing for about half the seating for the amount of guests a bride has. their idea is that you usually have a)less guests show up than invited, and b)some people are always dancing or walking around.

so, maybe that has now passed over to the cake. many people decline cake, or many people leave before the cake is served.

as a bride, there is no way I would want to take the chance on seating or cake at my wedding PERIOD. but, in an economy where everyone is trying to find a cheaper way of something, it doesn't surprise me.

I just don't understand why someone would invite me to their wedding, expect a gift, yet only plan on giving the cake to half the guests. I think it is incredibly bad manners. Where does this end, half the people get bread, half the people get a vegetable etc. If I invite someone to my home or to a party, I plan on providing them a full meal. I don't try to guess what they will or won't eat. If you can't afford to provide a full meal with the cake then maybe they should cut the guest list down first.

Even Kerry Vincent got involved in the CNN comments!

On a $10K or $20K wedding, saving $100-$200 on a cake is so insignificant. I can save a bride over $3000 in 3 minutes and I dont' have to change a thing that she wants.

Here's how:

I Can Save You $1000, Right Here, Right Now
Keeping a wedding on budget is difficult. Things cost more than a bride anticipated, last minute guests to add to the guest list, little things pop up that weren't planned for on the original budget, and not knowing for sure how many people will actually show up.

I am always promoting my 60% Rule to brides (see article in this blog) but I also encourage other wedding vendors to use this rule to help a bride stay in budget so she can afford the things she wants for her wedding.

I had a fellow cake artist share with me the story of a bride who had a $600 budget but she wanted a cake that was going to total $1000. The cake artist was telling me she wanted to help this bride but just couldn't drop her pricing by $400.

The solution is an easy one.

Turns out this bride had invited 300 guests and was figuring 250 would show up. With my 60% Rule (60% of those invited will actually show up), I figured she'd have about 180-200 guests at her reception.

First I told my cake friend, "She only has to come up with $400 to get the cake of her dreams. Assuming she's getting her dinner for only $20 a person, that means she has to trim her invite list by 20 people (20 people x $20/each = $400). We're now in an attainable number range. Somehow, it seems easier to rule out 20 guests than it does to come up with $400!

But ... back to saving this bride $1000.

I suggested to my cake artist friend that she should educate the bride on the 60% Rule and show her that she can reduce her expected head count by about 50 people. This will save her much more than the $400 she needs for the cake. Reducing expected headcount by 50 people means she will also save on the following:

7 fewer tables to rent (8 guests per table) at $7/table = $49 saved
50 fewer chairs to rent at $3/chair = $150 saved
50 fewer chair covers at $3 each plus 50 fewer sashes at $1 each = $200 saved
50 fewer dinners to buy at $25 each (assume $20 each plus the mandatory tip and service fee) = $1250 saved
50 fewer appetizers to buy at $12 each = $600 saved
50 fewer on the bar tab at $16 each = $800 saved
50 fewer favors to make/buy at $3 each = $150 saved

Total saved so far? $3199

And I saved it in about 3 minutes, without breaking a sweat. AND ..... the bride didn't have to compromise on any of her foods or selections.

I have said it over and over: Getting control of the expected headcount is THE Number One method to saving money and staying inside a wedding (or any event) budget. Vendors can also use this to help a bride see that she can afford the things she wants when she's not paying for the guests who will NOT show up. (Pssst! And RSVP's do NOT work. For 30 years I have ignored RSVP numbers and went with my 60% Rule. My 60% Rule was always more accurate!)

I can't tell you how many brides were thrilled when I showed them how they COULD afford the chocolate fountain once they got their headcount under control. The bride spent less than she anticipated, got more than she expected and I made a bigger sale.

This method is a win-win for everyone. But imagine 8 people at a table and only 4 of them get cake. Yeah .... explain THAT one to the guests!

As many of the comments pointed out, you never see them telling a bride to get only a $300 dress instead of a $900 dress (Hmmmmm....could it have ANYTHING to do with the advertising dollars that dress companies spend with those dress catalogs, uh, I mean, the bridal magazines?); lose those stupid favors that people throw in the trash anyway (as a caterer, I know that as a fact because my staff was the one who threw them out when we cleared the tables). Heck, a 100 person event with $3 favors .... right there's the $300 bucks you need for the WHOLE cake!

The only weddings I have been a part of that we had cake left over were the ones where lots of alcohol was served. People generally don't eat cake when they are drinking but in the same vein, good booze is generally more expensive than cake in the long run.

Maybe the cakeless or the half-caked can do one of the following when they have 150 people show up and there is only 75 peoples worth of cake:

>>Have a "cake lottery" each person entering the reception area gets a ticket and they can draw for cake. Winner Winner Cake for Dinner...

>>Have an appraiser on hand and determine which guests gave the happy couple the most valuable gifts - then let them (and only them) eat cake.

>>Have a "closed-bar" for cake where you pay per slice.

>>Have an Cake-Idol type karoke contest and let the top 50 have cake. Requires audience participation and an applause-o-meter.

>>Have a dance-off and the best dancers get to have cake - they will need it for energy anyway.

>>Have the cutest kid go around and pat peoples heads and say "One" or "Two" and then all the Ones get cake and the Twos do without (Kinda like we used to divide up teams in gym class)

Good Grief Charlie Brown, as I have said before everybody remembers the Bride (and dress), the number of attendants and the cake. I never went to a wedding thinking - O I hope they have good punch and a cheeseball, that is the highlight of a wedding to me cause they take so many pictures and remember that part forever!!!! If a bride wants to skimp, they are going to but any decent baker could explain the hundred reasons why they should have the appropriate amount of cake.